Guardian Angel Redux
by Crying Ivy
Summary: Serena Greenfield has always been watching Darien Clearings. He just wrote it off as an unhealthy obsession, not knowing that she was his Guardian Angel...and also the reason for his good luck. What will happen when it it all comes to an end?
1. Redux, Redux, Redux

**Guardian Angel**: _Redux _

**PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT!**

January 14, 2009

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Hullo all,

I started this story one summer day back in June of 2004…when I was ridiculously young and still green at writing. This was when Sailor moon was beginning its downhill tumble, its peak had come and gone and most writers who had started fabulous stories no longer updated or were interested in fanfiction.

I've been with the SM fanfic community for almost a decade now, and I can't help but say that I'm still loving it – as strong as ever. I was sidetracked a while (for those of you who read my post of Aug '08) and thought that I was done and through with SM, but now realize that I was terribly wrong.

I'm sorry about that guys, it wont happen again. I've come to realize in these past few months that it doesn't matter how old I get or how busy life gets, I will always love writing and I will always love Sailormoon just for its simplicity and the childhood fondness that it holds.

**So here we are**. Almost five years after its publication and this story is still no where near finished. But not for long – yes! You've heard right, I am taking this project up again in hopes of finishing it by the end of this year. I owe that much to you guys (:

Perhaps I still suck at writing, there's no guarantees. But I would like to think that I've matured somewhat as a writer…and hopefully as a story teller.  
I've forgotten the whole plot completely besides for the simple basics:

_That Serena Greenfield is special, a Guardian Angel per say, and that Darien Clearings is her charge. In addition to this he is extremely attractive and arrogant to boot (but isn't that what we love?) and that she is…not. At least, not yet. _

Armed with these basic facts, I will try to rewrite this story from the beginning.

Wish me luck!  
CryingIvy


	2. Prologue: At the Beginning

**_Prologue_**

AN: The last names are cheesy and extremely outdated, but I figure for sentimental purposes and other reasons unknown, _"aww what the hell? I'll keep'um"_ Enjoy and please remember to review.

DISCLAIMER: You and I both know that I do not own Sailormoon. Or Superman.

This chapter is dedicated to **SelenityHyperion **for encouraging me to continue writing.

Everything below this line is _**part of the story**_**. **

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**Present day, New York [**2:35am**]**

I haven't been able to sleep lately…and I don't know why. You'd expect that after a week of deadlines and late nights at the office that writing would be the last thing on my mind, but for some reason I've been getting these thoughts that just wont go away.

Call me crazy, but it's like they're impatient to come out. I have this inkling that these ideas aren't just any day-old, run of the mill kind of ideas but that they're something important – something drastic that could change my life. Perhaps another novel in the making? ;) Some stupid dreams that I can't seem to get out of my system? A mid-life (or in my case, _mid-twenties_) crisis in which I concoct idiosyncratic fantasies to spice up my life? (And no, I will not try those tricks that you and Michael experiment with. That is just plain _disturbing_.)

I'm not sure what it is, but all I know is that it's 2:30 in the morning and armed with only a fresh cup of coffee, some Godiva dark chocolate (thanks a bunch to Mel for that gift!), and my laptop, I'm about to type out all the contents of my brain and…well, here goes nothing.

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**South Carolina, 1956**

For as far back as Darien could remember, Serena Greenfield has always been…_watching him_.

Not just watching, but also following him, being with him, and just plain _stalking _him. They had met when he was in kindergarten; she was a taciturn girl of five with an unruly head full of hair the color of strained straw. Her face was pale and colorless, and if not for the unusual shade of her eyes – a striking, aquamarine tint that reminded him of the Atlantic during those rare halcyon days – she would've blended into the surrounding completely.

At the age of six he thought all girls had cooties and that as long as they didn't touch him or try to force him into playing tea party, they were fine.

Even back then she had just sat there, silently observing him during class as he built a castle out of wooden blocks then proceeded to knock it down in a fury with his Superman action figure – in no way shape or form was it a _doll_ – only to repeat the whole process all over again until nap time.

He had been a solemn child, and didn't mind the solitude or the vigilant albeit wordless companionship that Serena offered. But somehow all that changed that first year back, at the beginning of grade one when he started to become aware of his social surroundings and how other kids had…well, _friends._

There was only one time, throughout all their years together, in which Darien Clearings had ever spoken a word to Serena. Although the former individual might have forgotten the exchange in its entirety, the encounter never left Serena's mind. It happened that second week of first grade, in Mrs. Bunny's class during recess. It was raining heavily outside so their usual outdoors fun was confined to the colorfully decorated classroom. The conversation went down like this:

"_Serena…that's your name, right?"_

_Silence. She had never actually outright told him her name, but he had heard it during roll call and since they've basically hung out together all of kindergarten, and now what looked like to be another year, he sort of thought that they were…well, friends. _

_If not in the most general sense of the word, then at least they were comrades; kindred individuals thrown together in the traumatizing age of childhood; two kids who lived in isolation…with each other. _

_He progressed._

"_Are we friends?" He asked, nervous all of a sudden. _

_No answer. But young Darien was still a budding innocent at the time, still naïve and untainted by the world ahead of him. _

_So he progressed. _

"_Well, I'd like to think we're…a-acquaintances." He said, stuttering out the last word unsurely. His father had used the word last night during dinner and he was sure that it meant friends (but not really)._

_Still, more silence. _

"_We always hang out together and I don't have any other friends and neither do you…" he rambled on, "…so how about we hang out together and maybe even with the other kids? Does that sound good?"_

_She sat there, still staring at him in that analytical, unnerving way of her. Looking closer, he could have sworn that there was a flash of annoyance in her eyes whenever he talked to her – like as if she hated sitting there with him and had purposely chose to ignore him._

And so that was it. His first attempt at friendship shot down faster than you can spell 'rejection.' Needless to say, he would have been a scarred child after that if not for the next day, when the other kids approached him – out of the blue – and invited him to play kickball with them.

They didn't invite Serena though, but he could care less at that point. She had been completely rude and he chose not to dwell on that incident. In fact, he chose to forget about it completely.

And yet she still watched him.

Over the years, Darien grew up to be a devastatingly handsome young man, not to mention an extremely bright one. He was athletically built and possessed the skills to charm anyone – even his crabby old next-door neighbor, Mrs. Jenkins.

And over the years, Serena continued to follow him. He usually wouldn't mind the attention – he got plenty of it – but Serena Greenfield wasn't just any girl, she was a plain _geek_!

A loser! A freak. An obsessive _stalker._

Overtime, her presence and watchful eyes became part of his surroundings and Darien eventually forgot about her.

So Darien grew and changed into the playboy that he was now infamously known for – with girls always throwing themselves at him and himself in return dating most of these girls for a short period of time before unceremoniously dumping them.

Flirting and charming became natural skills to him as he repeatedly used it over and over again, yet the girls that he dated were oblivious to it all.

Darien saw it as a favor that _he_ did for _them_. For you see, they had the privilege of bragging that they had dated him. Him – the hottest, most revered guy in school (and possibly in their small town).

However, he wasn't the only one who had changed. Serena seemed quiet to the unobservant eyes – but if you watched her, you would began to notice that she did have friends. Friends that disappeared and reappeared from time to time (although strangely enough, no one ever questioned their whereabouts), but nonetheless she _did_ talk – a lot, actually.

Not only that but somehow or another, Serena had developed into a beautiful woman over the summer before their Senior year of High school – too bad Darien didn't know that. At least not yet.

And maybe, if people were more observant, they could probably figure out why Serena always stared at Darien.

Maybe.

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Review!


	3. Chapter 1: The Edge of Reason

**I**

_March 18, 2009_

**AN:** I am going to try something different, particularly with the POV employed in this story. The three POV in which I will alternate are: Serena's, Darien's, and Third person. I will label them accordingly, so please bear with me. I've tried to write this story in both Serena/Darien POV & Third Person separately (twice, actually, and I had to change it again and again!) and one or the other didn't work out by itself, so I'm going to combine them all (: This way, I think the tone of the story will work out.

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**South Carolina, 1968 [3rd person]**

Five facts that you should know about Serena, a.k.a. Guardian Agency "special case" No. 003

**1. **She has lived through many wars.

**2. **She has wings, though they are hidden.

**3. **The only thing she knows and remembers about her past life is that her real name is Serenity Deveraux.

**4. **She has lived the past two centuries indebted to someone or another.

**5. **She hates Darien. _With a passion_.

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**South Carolina, 1968 [Serena's POV]**

I yawn tiredly as I make my way to school, dragging my Chuck Taylor's roughly against the sidewalk as I urge myself on, mentally chanting the words "_You can do it! You can do it!"_ to myself as I try to erase the repeatedly playing images of _Night of the living dead_ from my mind.

Great. _Great._ He just had to watch that stupid movie with his buddies last night, didn't he? They just _had_ to stay awake until four a.m., making stupid noises with their body parts and climbing onto the roof like lunatics, howling at the moon.

And was streaking through the streets, covered in nothing except for the lone paper bag over their head (a truly brilliant attempt to hide their identity) really necessary? Really? I mean, _who the fuck would look outside at 3 a.m.?_ Who would be awake that late to see them? In a gated community no less where everyone was asleep by ten thirty – I would like to thank the genius who came up with that idea myself!

Excuse my sarcasm; I am truly not a morning person. In addition to this little tidbit, I would also like to remark that I also do not appreciate having to look after five idiots who find that it is their _"Duty to all who have graduated before us, to the seniors who have become legends and have started this tradition!"_ to climb up the precarious ladder of the water tower, arms loaded with buckets of paint and brushes clenched tightly between their teeth, and slather the tower "_Red and Gold – the colors of our ancestors!!" _as they teetered dangerously on the unstable holdings, their breaths reeking with the smell of beer.

What was the rule again? I furrow my eyebrows in concentration, trying to remember the small implication on my job: Oh. _Right._

God, how can I forget? It's the basic principle of everything!

THE RULE ABOVE ALL: _You may watch and manipulate the courses of things, but never will you approach your charge and reveal your true identity._

Which is why, although I can stalk Darien to a minimum degree at school – he and everyone else is probably use to it by now – I cannot just simple waltz right on up to him during certain situations (such as last night's water tower incident) and guard him. Not only would he question my presence (oh gosh, I can just imagine one like this: _How did you appear at the water tower so fast? We didn't even hear the ladder creak – and why do you have wings?!_), he'd probably also call the police!

Which would lead to other things like my possible expulsion from the school. And my complete failure at this assignment.

I have _never_ failed at an assignment before, and I'm not about to start. Plus, I'm already knee deep in trouble at the moment with Luna for disappearing for a whole summer and ignoring my charge.

But seriously, I needed a break. After 215 years of nonstop _Guardian Duty_, I needed a personal vacation – especially given my current charge who constantly keeps me busy.

My ears perk up as I hear the familiar sounds of people talking and laughter and I know that I must be close. I isolated myself this summer and went to a remote island near the Bahamas for some much needed rehabilitation, and in the span of two months I've become accustomed to peace and quiet.

Which a public high school was definitely _not_.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I close my eyes and let my sixth sense kick in, seeking out Darien. The smell of wildflowers and a hint of something tropical reaches my nose as I enjoy this small moment of luxury, transporting myself back to the days before when I still resided in the tropics…South Carolina was as hot as ever, but nothing ever quite lives up to its floral attributions during the summer time.

Feeling that he was within reach – about ten feet away from me, a close enough range for me to easily gain access to him while still in my human form – I sigh and thank the heavens that I don't have to continually stalk him anymore. I knew people talked about me and my "unhealthy obsession" for Darien behind my back (actually, they do it in front of my face too) and I knew that he knew.

But now that's all going to change, I mean, I left the boy alone for one summer and he turned out okay, right? He's old enough to take care of himself.

I resist the urge to snort as I think about two nights ago, when he had snuck into Carol Richard's house well past her bedtime and the two had been busy banging it out to the tune of _The Twist_ by Chubby Checkers. Oh yes, he definitely knew how to "take care of himself."

Needless to say, I had also been banging it out too – my head, that is, against the brick walls outside Carol's bedroom window as I waited for him to finish his business.

Stupid rule about me having to stay within 20 feet of him. Stupid stupid rule.

As I lean against the wall, letting the buzzing noise of conversations lull me into a calming sleep, I suddenly had a flashback of a memory I'd subconsciously kept away for a while now. Twelve years. In fact…it was a moment before I met Darien.

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_Flashback: 12 years before~_

"WHAT?!" I yelled, standing abruptly from my seat. My face was contorted in anger and disbelief as I regarded the dark haired lady across from me. She was wearing a plain, elegantly draped robe of white silk with a purple sash tied around her middle. Her curly, waist-length hair was clipped neatly behind her as she eyed my sternly, pursing her lips in disapproval.

"Calm down, child, and sit back down!" she scolded, her hands immediately coming up to rub her temples. She sighed loudly as I continued to regard her furiously, ignoring her orders.

"Calm down?" I yelled, my eyes narrowing, "CALM DOWN? Dammit –"

"Serena!"

"Luna, I'm going to say whatever I damn well please at the moment. This. Isn't. FAIR! And you know it!" I said accusingly.

"But you were requested specifically –"

"Who cares? I've done my time, now I want you to give me back what was rightfully mine in the first place!"

The older woman's temper flared. "What? So you can go back to abuse it?! Abuse the privilege that was granted to us all?!"

"I wouldn't actually call it a 'privilege'…" I mumbled.

Luna glared at me, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing. But you and I both know this isn't right, Luna! I've done what I was told to do, and in return they promised me my old life back." I finished dejectedly.

I saw Luna's eyes softened as she considered the sight before her; the tired, bitter girl that I had become and for a moment I considered taking back all that I had said. I didn't deserve to live anyways, not like this. Not when I'm so done with the world…but I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that it was taken from me. That my life was pulled from my hands before I could even protest.

"I know dear…I know," she said quietly. "But there is nothing I can do to get it back for you."

The 'it' that she referred to, was actually my life.

Contrary to popular belief, the job of being a Guardian Angel wasn't a privilege – it was a curse. To think, you had to guard some stranger's life forever – or at least until they died (and that alone took a good sixty years or so). Then after that, you would either go on to another person and guard them or earn something else (if you had a special circumstance, that is, which is very rare)

Guarding someone…forever. What kind of an after life was that? It was the punishment of those who hadn't lived their life to the fullest.

In other words, those who had, by their own hands, abused their own life. And in return, the consequence was becoming a Guardian Angel. The term "angel" was just an add-on that came about during the earlier stages of the process, in which humans dubbed these special guiders as winged beings from the Heavens.

But we were nothing special – just average, everyday people who had not lived out the extent of our lives.

I, however, was a different thing all together. I was one of those rare 'special circumstances' that wasn't suppose to spend my afterlife babysitting. For me, becoming a Guardian Angel was not entirely my fault – there were other circumstances that the powers above thought fitting to bestow me as a "temporary agent."

And under these circumstances, I was not required to serve as a Guardian for the rest of my afterlife – instead, I only had to serve four terms before I could received another chance at getting my life back, this time knowing the right decisions to make.

And that's what I did. I served four individuals that lived to the grand old ages of 66, 78, 89, and 82 (in that order, respectfully) before they died of natural causes.

I had helped a young man become a surgeon, fulfilling his hearts desire as he traveled the world and did research on cardiac development and diseases. I had guided a young woman to becoming one of the first female graduates of Law, helping her ease her way onto the professional scene. I had helped a couple have children despite their numerous failures at fertility…I had done everything I was asked, with perfect precision. Never had I drifted, never had I went beyond the boundaries given to me.

I smiled at the thought. Though I didn't enjoy guarding people for such a long period of time, there was a certain pride and happiness that was inevitable when you knew that you did something right. Something worthwhile.

And now the 'agency' (as I liked to call it) had once again called me back into talk to the administrator of the whole thing, Luna.

She was one of those rare special circumstances too, although I didn't quite know exactly what happened. In fact, no one truly did…Luna's been there are far as anyone could remember.

And when I had come in expecting good news, I was hit with another sucker – I had to guard another person. This time however, there was a slight catch.

"Funny how circumstances can ruin your life," I thought bitterly, then remembered that I had no life (literally).

"Why me?!" I cried, not believing that I was duped out of my goal again. "Why couldn't it be someone else?!!" I could feel the tears forming and tried to blink it back.

"It is final! Tomorrow you will began your Guardianship once again." Luna snapped harshly, before wincing at her own tone. "I'm sorry I have to do this to you Serena," she apologized. "But it is out of my power. Just think of it as a good deed on your part…"

"Oh give me a fucking gold star, why don't you?" I shot back, feeling my heart once again becoming cold. I can't believe I let my emotions get in the way again, I should've known that even in the afterlife things would never go my way.

"His name is Darien," Luna read from her file, ignoring my outburst like I had ignored her orders earlier, "at the current time he is six years, two months, twelve days, eight hours, fifteen minutes, and thirty-six seconds old." She looked up from her papers, regarding me warily, like as if I was a ticking bomb that could explode at any moment. "You are to guard him not as a floating embodiment, like your previous assignments, but as a human being."

"What?" I asked, shock replacing my anger. Guardians were _never_ supposed to interact physically with their charges. "Are you sure?"

"Very," Luna said gravely, "You will have the ability to revert back to your Guardian form, but only for limited amounts of time. Your powers to manipulate circumstances will still be available to you for regulated usages but you must be within physical distance of him – he must know that you're there."

"What kind of a crap deal is this?" I shouted, hating every moment of this meeting. "

"Serena, it was not me –"

"Yes I know," I said coldly. "'_It is not in your power to decide what happens_.' But that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Whatever the case, do you understand what I have told you?" Luna asked, staring at me inquisitively.

"Yes." I replied.

"Do you solemnly swear to respect the rules of the Guardianship and all that resides in his realm and under its control?"

"Yes." I snapped again, tired of the same old oath.

"Good, one last thing, Serena?"

"What is it? We're done with the oath, aren't we?" I just wanted to get out of there. I felt like I was suffocating.

"Yes, but I want one last promise from you – that you will treat this assignment with the same enthusiasm as you have done for the others. This assignment is far superior in it's meaning to you, I don't know why, but I have a feeling that it is. Don't enter it with derision in your heart."

"Fine." I answered coolly, my voice void of any warmth and emotion. With those final words, I raised an eyebrow as if to ask, _"Are we done?"_ before briskly turning around, exiting the office hastily before she could say anything else.

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I was sent back to earth in the body of a five year old – an age close to my charge.

And I was left with this lasting thought: _Stay within twenty feet of him at all times._

"What the heck?" I remembered thinking, "This is practically stalking him!"as I walked to the elementary school. I was the only child without a parent that day, and although physically I wasn't mature, my mind was still intact and I had to resist the urge to go out and buy some alcohol to calm my nerves whenever Darien's antics became frustrating.

What annoyed me the most was that none of my other charges had ever been this aggravating. I had better things to do than spend my time babysitting some playboy as he changed through his girlfriends as fast as he changed through his shirts. Maybe even faster.

I remember Edward, the boy who had grown up dreaming to be a surgeon – and he had succeeded with hard work! Edward was born to a poor, blue-collared family that barely had enough means to feed and clothe their six children, and yet the boy had determination and the endurance to prevail.

Darien on the other hand, did nothing. The boy was filthy rich! Major emphasis on the filthy part.

I guess if I was to be fair, from what I observed (stalk was more like it), ever since he was a child (even before I had met him) he was isolated from his parents. They never gave him the love that every child should receive and in a way I felt a sort of connection with him. I almost sympathized with him.

Almost.

But when I had seen him in Kindergarten, all aloof and quiet, something hardened within me and I felt the cool mask that I've been wearing for the past twelve years slide into place.

_This was the boy. _This was the boy who's 'special circumstance' prevented me from getting back my life.

What made him so special? Why was his life worth more than mine?

With these angry thoughts in mind, I set out to ignore him for the rest of my time on earth – however long that might be.

Let him live for a hundred years, see if I care. I vowed never to speak to him. They never said that I had to interact with him, did they? All he had to do was see me physically.

Well, here I am.

But looking back now, perhaps I was a bit harsh with him. I remember that second week of first grade, when he had surprised me by turning over and asking if I was his friend.

"_No." _I wanted to snap. _"You have no friends."_

But I didn't say that, because I vowed to be mute.

So I just stared at him angrily, trying to burn holes into that charming little head of his.

He was, of course, scarred by that event. I knew he was because soon after (that very night) I got a message from Luna telling me to stop messing with the boy and grant his heart's desire.

Oh La-di-dah, sing me a fucking campfire song, why don't you?

I manipulated a few things there, added some thoughts into the more popular children's mind, and the next day…voila! Darien had friends!

And voila! I didn't! Just how I liked it.

But now as I watch him, thinking about the years that had passed since he was a six-year-old boy…and now to a cold-hearted eighteen year old, I couldn't help but wonder if I had somehow been responsible for the monster I see before me.

What if I had befriended him that day? What if I hadn't been mean and spiteful? Would he have turned out to be a better person and not the Casanova he currently was?

God. Whatever. One way or another, he would have been the playboy of the school – he was too good-looking _not_ to be.

I was suddenly shaken out of my revere as I heard a girl squeal, screaming out "_Goodness! It's Darien!" _and resisted the urge to throw something at her.

Oh come on, he's a fucking Senior already! You should be use to his looks by now.

As I watch him come into view, I couldn't help but silently agree with her, my eyes appraising the bronze tone of his skin (that could have only came from days out in the summer heat), his chiseled features topped off with a head full of luscious, dark locks and a pair of pearly whites. I could see his muscles strain against the white polo shirt, and couldn't help but think "_Gee…he probably spent all summer rowing…"_

Whatever. Whatever whatever whatever.

I smugly grin to myself as I thought about my own personal appearance, how I had undergone a major transformation over the summer during my disappearing stint.

Gone were the glasses, the nasty hair, the pudge that I had gained over the years because of overeating on peanut butter and Rocky-road ice cream (they were delicious, I tell you, and an extremely efficient remedy for stressful situations – which I often found myself in given the nature of my charge). I was always too busy watching Darien to indulge myself in such materialistic things and I discovered that it was quite charming to get a manicure, to talk to others that didn't already know about my "obsession" (at this I resist another urge to roll my eyes) and to just hang with the rest of my friends.

And yes, I do have friends. Most of them are just like me, while others are human but also rejects from the society. I got along well with them enough, being that I really wasn't as social inept as I put myself out to be, but thrown into similar circumstances…you never really know who you'll end up confining in.

I smile as I straighten out my skirt, counting the distance between Darien and I and waiting for it to reach fifteen feet before starting to trudge after him.

And before you know it, I hear a chorus of:

"Oh. My. God!"

"Shoot me now – who is that?"

"Is she new? Why have I never seen her before?"

"_She_ will be dating Darien, I just know it!"

"Look at those long, tan legs – god, what I wouldn't give to have them squeeze me –"

Smile. Let the games begin.

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**AN: **So...how'd you like the first chapter? Yes?! No?! Maybe so?!?! Review review and tell me your thoughts!

Thanks =D

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	4. Chapter 2: Baby, even I have limits

**II**

_May 28, 2009_

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"_I have great faith in American youth. The youth of today can change the world, and if they understand that then I think we can go far…"_

_Richard Nixon Campaign for the Youth of America, 1968_

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_**South Carolina, 1968**  
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[**Darien's POV**]

"My my my…would you look at that." My best friend Andrew said from beside me as I bent down to tie my shoe. We were lazying around our usual hangout spot (aka, the main oak tree), swapping summer stories and preparing for the upcoming football season as we waited for the bell to ring.

"Where?" Chad asked, waking up suddenly at the sound of "gorgeous girl." You know how every group had a slacker/stoner that no one ever takes seriously but stays friends with because he's a total hoot at parties? Well, ours was Chad. The guy was heaps of fun when he had a bit of alcohol and weed in his system, but most of the time (especially at school) he was reduced to nothing more than a moving zombie. I _swear_, the guy never sleeps.

"Oh…my…god." Zach rubbed his eyes a couple of times in disbelief. Was this girl extremely gorgeous or something? Tying a double knot on my sneakers, I lifted my head and glanced around the school grounds.

"What are you guys talking about? I don't see anyone…" I stopped suddenly, eyes paused on a lone figure walking up the steps of the school.

She was possibly the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. Soft, golden curls framed a heart shape face that had a light sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Even from this distance I could see that her eyes were a striking aquamarine blue.

And her body! Tits that would fit perfectly in my hand (and trust me, my hand was pretty huge) and a tan and toned body that alluded to the tropical summer vacation she must have had.

_God_. What I wouldn't like to suck those –

"Trying to trap flies with that?" Andrew joked, jabbing me hard in the ribs. I ignored him and continue staring at her as she made her way over to my group.

"She's coming over here!" Ken exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in an effort to straighten it. The guys quickly corrected their posture and changed conversation topics.

"This war is unreasonable!" Andrew bellowed loudly "The government's just trying to project a favorable view to the rest of the world, but at what cost? Thousands are dying."

Zach nodded. "Quite true, Quite true…" he murmured, glancing quickly at the approaching girl. "My cousin Bill – you remember him Drew, that time you came over for dinner? – well, I heard he was just recently drafted for Nam."

"That's outrageous!" Chad yelled vehemently, trying (and alas, failing horribly) to sound politically active. How he thinks he can get away with this obvious lie, with his long unkept hair and shirt declaring "Make love (all night longgg), Not War" I have no idea, but at the moment all the guys were acting weird.

For one, I knew for a fact that Zach has no cousin name Bill. I was his only cousin, therefore this little outburst of his was the biggest whopper of a lie.

For another, Andrew recently declared the other day that he would like to go to War because it "looked manly and attracted loads of girls." He could care less about what the government did.

They continued to argue about politics, the feminist movement (Chad: "Like, man, I'm totally cool with the burning bra thing. Personally, if they wanted to take it off and like, liberate there…ya know, they could have just asked me. I'm all for the women empowerment!") and everything else under the sun all the while keeping an eye on the girl.

"Damn, she walks slow!" Ken hissed. "You'd think with all of us standing here she'd hurry it up or something."

Yea. She was walking abnormally slow…and now that I looked closer, she looked extremely pissed off too.

"Why is she scowling?" Drew asked.

"Maybe she doesn't know how to put you guys down carefully," Chad whispered with all seriousness. "You know, not hurt your feelings and whatnot."

"Are you joking?" Zach scoffed.

"You sound surprised." Chad said, offended. "I happen to be a perfect boyfriend candidate."

I snorted. "In what way? Perhaps if they like to run their hand through your grease? Or perhaps you can offer them some of your secret stash?"

"I have a secret stash alright, all they have to do is stick their hand down my pants and dig around for it –"

"Oh god, that's disturbing –" Ken gagged.

"Only because you're imaging it right now!"

"What the hell? In your dreams –"

"She's not coming over."

We all turned to look at Drew.

"What?" I asked, turning around to look for the girl…who should've been standing in front of us by now.

She was nowhere in site.

"Do you think she fell down the stairs?!" Zach asked quickly, rushing over to the steps and peering down. "Nope!" He piped, "not here!"

"Then where could she be?" Ken yelled, frustrated.

I continued looking around for her, straining my eyes in case she forgot something and had to run back to get it. Or perhaps she had an emergency and had to rush back home, or maybe she was too intimidated to approach us today and decided to do it another day. Yea, that's right. That was the only plausible reason…

"She's over there." Zach said, pointing towards the school. We all turned around at the same time and looked to see that he was right.

She was leaning against the main doors, a bored look on her face as she seemed to be waiting for something (or someone???). Her arms were crossed across her chest, and I noticed the impatient stamp of her feet as she rolled her eyes several times and…talked to herself.

But that part didn't bother me, oh no. What really confused me was that –

"She walked right past us." Drew said in disbelief.

There was one way and one way only to get to the main doors, and it required that you pass the old oak tree.

It required that you pass us.

And pass she had. Right. Passed. Us.

"She walked right passed us!" Drew repeated again, staring down at his hands like as if any minute now they'd grow mouths and start consoling him.

Drew was a ladies man, you see. I admit that I am also apart of this sought after group, but the thing about Drew was that he had this natural born charm that brought _everyone _to him be it women, men (some with friendship in mind and others with…other things in mind), old people, animals, **everyone. **

And to have this girl walk right past him while he was pulling out all the works, well, that was definitely a ball buster.

"It's okay Drew," I said sympathetically. "Maybe she…has a lot on her mind."

"I smiled at her." He murmured. "I used my best smile, the _take-off-pants_ version 4 smile, dammit!"

Woah. Now that's pulling out the big guns.

I wasn't lying when I said Drew was a true ladies man – he had protocols and whatnot governing his flirting techniques (I kidd you not). Freshmen year was when the _take-of-pants_ smile was first introduced (or, TOP as we like to call it).

Results? Success at first try. That was the year Drew became the big man on campus for being the first to deflower Headmaster Richard's daughter Helen.

To say the least he got a year's worth of detention after dumping her.

Sigh, and I _told_ him to avoid that too. Dating the daughters of men in power is _never_ a good thing.

Anyways, every year after that included the introduction of a new version of the TOP smile. Drew even invented a few general ones that we less-charming beings could utilize to our advantage; I told him to patent that skill and sell it to the world, but all he did was give me his No.2 smile from the "charming bullshit" line and say "Oh Dare, this is a one-of-a-kind thing. I don't like sharing."

Damn him.

Although, if I have to be honest, I'm about equal with Drew on the Ladies Man part. Whereas he has the whole "Charming, boy next door/prince on a white horse/blonde" look I had the upper hand on the "Bad Boy/brooding male heir/androgynous" thing. I guess between the two of us, I would have to say that Drew is the worst one.

I may also date and dump girls, but at least they _know_ what they're getting in to. They expect that to happen, they might even _want_ that to happen. But with Drew…he makes you put your guard down. Girls date him expecting the fairy-tale and dream wedding, not knowing that underneath all that lies a player…

Oh, shit, Drew's becoming a mess.

"Relax," I said, grabbing him by the shoulder. "You need to get a hold of yourself and pull it together!"

"She…walk…smile…why?"

"She's probably preoccupied!" I said, trying to comfort him.

"She's not even that pretty!" Ken added, but couldn't hold up the lie anymore and confessed. "Alright, I lied. She's gorgeous. But maybe she's just not that into you."

"You're not making it any better," Zach snapped, keeping a critical eye on Andrew in case he did something stupid.

Melodramatic? A bit. But imagine if all your life you've been surrounded by people who love you, and not once has anyone said anything bad to you or even ignored you.

That was the life Andrew lived…until now.

"Look, let's go up to her and introduce ourselves?" I suggested, still staring at the girl in my peripheral vision. I wonder what her name was…Audrey? Michelle?

No…those names were too common for her. I don't know why I placed such an emphasis on name, but I believed that you're called should fit you perfectly.

Andrew was…well, a Drew. An all around nice guy.

And Chad…well, he was _Chad_, the ultimate slacker. Doesn't it just _sound_ like 'ultimate slacker' to you?

Zach? Seems brainy, doesn't it? And so it's fitting to Zach, who's currently our Valedictorian.

Ken sounds…normal. All around normal nice guy. Not as boring as it sounds, I assure you, for Ken can be quite entertaining when...drunk.

And me? Darien sounds right, doesn't it? I'm neither smart/stupid, charming/asshole.

I'm just Darien. And I think it fits just fine.

While we're on the topic of names that _don't fit_ with their person, I have the perfect example for this.

Serena Greenfield – _the stalker_. The name sounds angelic, doesn't it? Sounds fitting for a princess, for someone gorgeous and innocent!

Not the case. _Serena Greenfield_ was neither angelic, a princess, or innocent.

Not that she was a promiscuous girl, just that she was a creep…which absolutely rules out the innocent bit. She wasn't pretty either, in fact, she was positively ugly.

Yea, I'm just going to be blunt.

Unkept hair, unkept face…unkept body. She was pudgy and nerdy, but what's worse about is was that she was _mean_.

I tried being friends, way back in Kindergarten, I really tried. But she shot me down that one day I offered my olive branch and from then on has stalked me. Confused? Yea, so am I. But it's been almost eleven year since that day and in that time, I've come to accept that Serena was a part of my life – at least for now, until I went to college. No way in hell would I let her do this kind of thing at university.

Why didn't I go to the police? The teachers? Anyone?

Trust me, I have. I've tried everything and yet every time the officer would simply smile, pat me on the head and say "Hoho boy, looks like you've got yourself an admirer!"

…

Same thing happened whenever a teacher got involved, it's like they all have this "we love Serena" kind of thing in which whatever she did was perfectly acceptable.

So what else could I do but learn to deal?

"Why…why…?" Andrew kept saying. He looked like someone who just had his life torn from him and is now stuck in utter misery.

"Come on!" I said. "Let's go talk to her, I'm sure it'll clear everything up."

I stalked towards the steps and motioned for Andrew to follow me.

"Not you guys," I said to the others when I saw that they were going to follow us. "It'd look weird and a bit homosexual if we all came in a group."

"Fine." They muttered, falling back. I ignored the dejected look on their faces and motioned for Andrew to keep walking.

You know how some people look gorgeous from afar? I remember this one time back in tenth grade when Andrew and I snuck out of the house and somehow managed to get into this bar. Right when we entered, I saw this beautiful girl (older, of course, but at the time I liked that) standing near the jukebox, sipping on a drink.

She was blonde, blue eyes, tight ass. Everything that I liked.

Well humdee-dum. Upon closer inspection, let's just say that her passing as a woman was a great feat in itself. She looked like a fifty year old man!

How she could look so great from far away and look like a total beast from up close, I don't know, but from then on I've learned to be weary of distance. It can greatly alter the truth.

So as we're walking towards the girl, I crossed my fingers and prayed that she wasn't ugly.

Actually, if she was ugly, it'd make Drew feel a lot better about not being able to get her but…

Boy I hope she was pretty.

* * *

**[Serena's POV]**

Darien was sitting at his usual hang out, the same damn ol' place that he's been at since freshmen year.

With his boys. Chad Michaels, Andrew Jones, Zach Kinkaid, and Ken Ruthers. I guess the only good thing about them always hanging out together is that these boys truly followed the _Dicks before Chicks_ saying. Occasionally, over the years there'd be girls – temporary twits that they screwed during the off season – but never was there a permanent addition to their group of five.

Sigh. Boys.

I must admit though, I do feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I caught their eye. I was even onto their little act – puhlease, since when did the feminist movement (or anything at all) become an interest of Chad Michael's, aka the school's residential stoner?

Right. Since never.

It took all the self-constraint in the world for me not to turn around and knee each and everyone of them in the groin. I know what they were thinking – that I was another bimbo who was walking towards them.

Hehe. I wish I could've seen the look on their faces when they realized that I had walked right past them! Especially Darien's, that arrogant prick.

Yes, I loath him. The rest of the school may like him for his looks and persona, but I was with him 24/7 and knew the truth!

Oh shit. He's walking towards me now.

* * *

**[Darien's POV]**

"Look Drew, she's smiling at you." I said to Drew, trying my best to cheer him up.

"She's scowling."

"No, that's a smile!"

"She's rolling her eyes."

"She's been doing that all day," I snapped. "It's probably a condition."

"She's walking away."

"What?" I shouted. "No! Hey, girl!"

* * *

**[Serena's POV]**

My eye twitched.

Hey…girl?

Who the hell did he think he was?!

I, of course, ignored him and reached for the door.

"Wait!" He ordered.

Typical Darien. Typical typical Darien. He _would_ expect everyone to do as he said, wouldn't he?

Asshole.

I ignored his outburst again and pulled on the door, all intending to go inside and shut out the annoying chatter.

* * *

**[Darien's POV]**

Why was this girl not listening? I'm only two feet from her, I know she can hear me!

"Wait!" I yelled again, rushing to her. Reaching out I grabbed her hand and pulled her back, stopping her from opening the door.

"What's you're problem?" she snapped, glaring at me.

Did I do something wrong? Why was she so adamant about avoiding me, we don't even know each other!

"Did I do something to upset you?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow. I was still holding her hand and gallantly brought it to my lips, placing a gentle kiss on it. I made sure to linger just enough to let her know that I was interested.

At that she smiled. Now a smile I could definitely handle.

_Gosh darnit Darien, you've done it again!_

Story of my life.

"I'm Darien," I introduced smoothly, before noticing that Drew was still sulking nearby.

Pulling him by the collar of his polo, I flashed the girl another brilliant grin, nudging Drew in the side. "And this is my buddy Andrew."

Drew quickly regained his wits and gave his smile another go, practically oozing with charisma.

"Hi I'm Andrew."

Too bad it was shot down again.

"Charmed." She answered shortly, giving me an amused grin (and completely ignoring Drew).

I'm confused about why she was grinning but squashed it down, too excited that I had her attention.

_What's wrong with you? You're acting like a pubescent teen who just got his first boner!_

Yea, well, she's definitely giving me a boner right now…

I continued smiling. "And your are…?"

"Taken."

"Ouch," I answered goodheartedly, though I was a bit disappointed that this conquest ended so soon. The girl really was gorgeous, probably even more so up close.

"At least let me know your name." I flirted, completely oblivious to Drew who was still foaming at the mouth over being ignored not once, but twice.

"Why Darien," her sweet voice answered. It was like warm honey to my ears, flowing ever so soothingly. "You should already know."

Eh?

"How can I know when we've just met," I replied. "Baby, I'm amazing but even a man has got his limits."

Was it just me, or did her grin widen?

"Well Baby," she shot back. I just love her calling me that and could just imagine her screaming it under me while I drove into her. "I wouldn't exactly say we've just met."

Huh?

"What are you trying to imply?" When confused, answer a question with another question.

"In fact…" she licked her lips seductively. "I'd say we're childhood friends."

"Odd," I said, confused. "I think I would remember you."

"Oh I'm pretty sure you will –" The bell suddenly rang, signaling the beginning of school. My mystery girl paused, as if to ponder something, before winking at me.

"I'll see you in class." She said, turned towards the doors.

"Wait!" I yelled. "What if we're not in the same class?"

"Oh we will." She said confidently, which might I add is the ultimate turn on.

And with that, she left me (and a rabid Andrew) on the steps of our school.

No one has ever left _me_ at the steps of anything. But for some reason, I didn't particularly mind.

As long as I got the girl in the end, of course.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, sorry about the long wait! I just finished up with school and am now finally home!! I have a small break before interning/researching begins so I'll try to write as much as I can during this time. Unfortunately, this means that the chapters will be poorly edited but I'll go back and edit them when I have time. I think you guys would rather have the chapters then wait a couple of weeks longer for me to run them through the grinder ;)**

**Anyways, here are a few important things that i want you guys to keep in mind:**

If you have already noticed, I have set the main part of this story in **1968**, South Carolina no less. The dialogue will be a bit contemporary as I do not know how they talked back then…but I will try to stay as accurate as possible to the time period.

For those of you who don't know, 1968 is when America's involvement with the Vietnam war was at its peak. This is when the Tet offensive occurred, which shocked many people because they never expected the North Vietnamese (Communists) to be so powerful or to have such an upper hand.

No, I will not focus on the war a lot but it will be included in order to fit in with the plot I had in mind. I realize that this is a bit more serious than what usual SM fanfics are about, but rest assured that you will still get a lot of Serena&Darien romance (:

This story is Comedy/Drama, so it won't be all angst and teen romance. In fact, if the story is not yet rated M, I might up the rating later on. I like high school romance and all, but as a college kid I no longer find them that interesting.

Which is why although this story is based in high school, it'll definitely have more mature themes surrounding the characters. Also, keep in mind about the FIRST PARAGRAPH of the story – you know, the one set in _New York, New York __**Present Day?**_

Yea. That's definitely important.

Whew, and that ends my long author's note.

**Please REVIEW!!**

**Please REVIEW!!**

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